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The next time winter rears its ugly head be ready with our fantastic Adult Snow Day game plan. Also this week we've got the story on "The Roommate" at Portland Stage, a Bar Guide review of Emilitsa, a Face the Music preview of a local Dolores O'Riordan tribute show, the debut of our new beer column Tap Lines, concert previews and so much more. Have at it!

About The Author

Ray Routhier

Portland Press Herald staff writer Ray Routhier will try anything. Once. During 20 years at the Press Herald he’s been equally attracted to stories that are unusually quirky and seemingly mundane. He’s taken rides on garbage trucks, sought out the mother of two rock stars, dug clams, raked blueberries, and spent time with the family of bedridden man who finds strength in music. Nothing too dangerous mind you, just adventurous enough to find the stories of real Mainers doing real cool things.

From Ace of Base to DJ Jazzy Jeff, Saved by the 90s satisfies all your neon-colored nostalgia

Written by: Ray Routhier

Saved by the 90s, a live music show featuring hits of that decade, will be at Port City Music Hall in Portland on Friday. The set list ranges from Ace of Base and Counting Crows to Radiohead and Weezer.Photo courtesy of Saved By The 90s

Has enough time really passed to make the ’90s seem hip and cool?

It has if you’re 31, like musician Nat Esten is. To people his age, the decade of the ’90s were formative years, when music and pop culture seemed wondrous and important.

Esten co-founded a touring music party called Saved by the 90s in 2010, and it has apparently met a pent-up need for ’90s nostalgia. He and partner Alex Rossiter now manage six different live bands that tour regions of the country banging out nearly-forgotten hits by the Spice Girls or The Beastie Boys and dusting off hopefully-forgotten phrases like “cowabunga dude.” One of those bands will bring Saved by the 90s to Portland’s Port City Music Hall Friday.

“Everybody in all the bands grew up listening to ’90s music, we like to think it’s ingrained in our souls,” said Esten, who is based in New York City.

Esten and Rossiter met at Berklee College of Music in Boston. After college, he got a job in the music industry but not as performer – booking electronic music festivals and events. He and Rossiter tried to think of ways to keep playing music on the side and Saved by the 90s was born. They reached out to friends in different parts of the country to start up regional bands that could play the shows in those areas.

The show’s name is a play on the wildly popular kids and tween sitcom “Saved by the Bell.”

The shows draw celebrities who had their best days in the ’90s, including Dustin Diamond, the actor who played awkward Screech on “Saved by the Bell.”

Other celebrities who have shown up at Saved by the 90s shows include Chris Barron (The Spin Doctors), DJ Jazzy Jeff and Coolio.